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Center for Women Students plans Women’s History Month events

February 26, 2014

Center for Women Students plans Women’s History Month events

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Women have played vital roles in history but the roles certainly do not have to remain in the past. With a variety of events scheduled throughout March to honor Women’s History Month, Penn State’s Center for Women Students aims to show that women make “history” every day.

“The focus of our month of activities is really about diversity both in terms of subject matter and audiences,” said Jennifer Pencek, programming coordinator of the Center for Women Students. “We want to show that the topics important to women truly include everything and that the month isn’t about programming ‘just for women’ but is all about inclusion, honoring the work of the past and what may still need to be done to make the world as gender equal as possible.”

The list of events follows:

Brown Bag Discussion: Gender and Race in South AfricaNoon to 1 p.m. March 3203 Boucke BuildingThree Student Affairs professionals reflect on a 10-week study abroad opportunity in South Africa. Speakers will share experiences, anecdotes and perspectives about their roles, as well as gender and race in South Africa.

"Miss Representation" film screening6:30 p.m. March 4Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson CenterThe film exposes how mainstream media contributes to under-representation of women in power/influence positions and challenges the limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls.

"NO! The Rape Documentary" film screening7 p.m. March 5Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson CenterAishah Shahidah Simmons, a rape and incest survivor, uses testimonials from black female rape survivors and insight from leading scholars and activists to examine sexual violence in African-American communities. A Q&A with Simmons follows the screening. The event is co-sponsored by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and funded by the University Park Allocation Committee.

Brown Bag Discussion: LGBTA Women in HistoryNoon to 1 p.m. March 18203 Boucke BuildingJoin Allison Subasic, director of Penn State’s LGBTA Student Resource Center, as she discusses women who have paved the way in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally history.

Brown Bag Discussion: Intuitive Eating: Gain Body WisdomNoon to 1 p.m. March 25203 Boucke BuildingIntuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind and body where you ultimately become the expert of your own body. Jody Whipple, a nutritionist/certified diabetes educator from University Health Services, will discuss how to gain a sense of body wisdom.

Project Unbreakable: An Evening with Grace Brown6:30 p.m. March 31Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson CenterSince Project Unbreakable’s conception in 2011 by Grace Brown, it has featured more than 2,000 images of sexual assault survivors holding posters with quotes from their attackers. Join Brown as she discusses her journey to Project Unbreakable and beyond. The event is co-sponsored by Sapphire Leadership Program and funded by the University Park Allocation Committee.